﻿If you have read my previous blog on 'Beautiful Scotland', You will know that it is one of my favourite places to visit in the UK. If you haven't read the blog then here's the link.....http://www.arimasarts.com/2/post/2014/01/beautiful-scotland.html I was rummaging through old photographs looking for some inspiration for a painting and I found this one. I hadn't painted a castle like this before and thought it would be a challenge for me. I love a challenge, so here are the first three stages.﻿

I know that in the photograph the sky looks grey, but I wanted a blue sky to brighten up the painting. You see when I had the photo printed it came out darker than the digital image and I could not see the bottom of the cliff very clearly. I painted the cliff in a mixture of black and dark green. I then added the base colour of the castle. Here are the next three stages....

As you can see the castle just did not look right. The middle was far too long. So yes, you guessed, I changed it and started working on the details. I also added the grass. Next came the bottom of the cliff. Here are another three images for you. I added some more highlights and then worked on the bottom. The bottom of the cliff looked like a jungle so I changed it to something more pleasing. I wanted the feel of a summers day, with the bees buzzing amongst the wild meadow flowers. Most of our visits, at Edinburgh, were spent during the summer holidays. We have a lot of fond memories over here, especially during the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Edinburgh transforms into a surreal place during this time of year. The town streets, particularly the ones surrounding the castle are crammed full of performing artists of all kinds and tourists. It is a hive of activity with something interesting for everyone whether it's a ghost walk with a guide or performers from around the world. The atmosphere is so intense, it feels like one gigantic party. Sometimes you feel like a child in a candy store not knowing where to start or what to buy, there are so many goodies everywhere ..... Ahhhhh...... Oh by the way my hubby says I have to mention the time when we saw a couple busking on the street. The woman was pregnant with a tambourine in her hand and a warm smile on her face. Her partner was on the acoustic guitar. We asked them if they knew the song 'Wonderwall' by Oasis, a famous local band from Manchester, UK. He replied yes and in a cheeky voice said , "Put the money in the Juke box". We threw some money into his guitar case on the floor and he began singing. Yep we couldn't resist and at the top of our voices sang along with him, without a care in the world. Passersby smiled and nodded to show their support. It was one of the most memorable moments of our time spent in Edinburgh. Now every time we hear that song the memories just come flooding back. Oops nearly forgot about the painting. Well here are the next three stages....

Finally here is the finished painting with the adjustments. Hope you like it. Love and Peace Samira :)PS: Here is the song 'Wonderwall' by Oasis...

Whenever I receive birthday cards or cards for special occasions, I always tend to keep the ones that really stand out. For example I received a card from a friend who went on holiday to India. She sent me a beautiful picture of the Taj Mahal, which is important as it is my mother's birth place and somewhere I hope to visit one day. She used to tell me stories about her adventures in India when she was a little girl. I would love to visit all the magical places she talked about. Anyway it caught my eye and I put a frame around it. Now it is gracing my wall. Cards, for me, are basically a tiny version of art that you can cherish for life. I call it 'Miniature Art'. You could even call it affordable art. As you may or may not know all of my artwork is available in greeting card form on the Fine Art America website. If you like collecting art or if you know someone who loves unique cards then this is the place to be. They would make a fabulous gift with your own personal message in them. You can virtually use them for any occasion. The wonderful thing about this is that it will be distinctive because of my artwork and your special message inside.So here are a few details about the cards taken from the website:

Our greeting cards are 5" x 7" in size and are produced on digital offset printers using 110 lb. paper stock.

Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss finish.

The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with a text message up to 500 characters in length.

The artist's name and the name of the image is printed on the back of each card along with the Artist Websites logo.

Cards can be ordered in a horizontal or vertical configuration.

Cards can be ordered with a white background or black background.

All greeting cards ship within one business day of the order date!

Each card comes with a white envelope for mailing and gift giving.

Just imagine a whole wall full of miniature artworks projecting different emotions, feelings and ambiance, your own personalised gallery. How interesting it would be to look at each individual one. A great topic of conversation when you have guests over.

I have been blogging about a lot of my paintings and photographs, so you could even read the inspiration and history behind the images. For example if you were to purchase any paintings from the Aboriginal Dot Art collection then you can read the following blog articles as listed below:http://www.arimasarts.com/2/post/2013/10/inspiration-from-aboriginal-dot-paintings.htmlhttp://www.arimasarts.com/2/post/2013/10/my-aboriginal-inspired-dot-art-paintings.html The first link explains the inspiration behind the artworks. The second link gives a brief outline of each of the four paintings. However I have done a further one on 'Sacred Union' as it is one of my favourite pieces, as you can see above. Just click on the picture.﻿Cards are reminders of special memories of occasions that are dear to our hearts, so why not make it a special one. I hope you get the opportunity to have many many special moments in time to cherish. Here is a selection for you to enjoy... Bye﻿

I﻿t was a grey day outside, a little cold yet dry. My mood matched the weather. This time last year and the year before that, we were knee deep in snow. Luckily this year the weather has been surprisingly mild. I think America got our share, sorry! "How can I bring some colour into my life?" I thought. "I know let's get the paints out." So I did. I put some colours that stood out amongst the others and looked blankly at the canvas. I thought whatever movement comes out of my arm I will continue painting in that fashion. Before you know it I was painting brightly coloured spirals that flowed across the canvas. There were blue ones and yellow ones just about every colour of the rainbow. There were large ones and small ones too. When I was a young girl I used to love spinning around with my arms stretched out wide with my eyes shut and then falling to the ground feeling dizzy. I used to open my eyes and watch the world spin around, such a surreal feeling, but it felt great. That was the sensation I felt when my arm was dancing across the canvas.Whilst painting I felt free to do whatever came into my mind, a feeling of elation was erupting inside of me. I totally forgot about the dismal weather and before you know it time had flown by, spiralling out of control. I thought only a couple of hours had gone, but I had been painting for at least six hours non - stop without a break. Time really does fly when you're having fun. So I thought that I would do some research on the spiritual/symbolic meaning of spirals. Here's what I found: First of all the spiral is one of the most ancient symbols known to mankind. It has its roots in prehistoric times. Spirals are found throughout the world in different cultures and more importantly in nature as snail shells, the shape of our galaxy, the movement of planets and in plant life. As for the spiritual and symbolic meaning of spirals, they represent evolution and expansion, aswell as the seasons of life. Celtics believed that the direction of the spiral was significant. Clockwise spiral was associated with harmony and the sun. Whilst anti-clockwise spiral was seen as manipulation of nature. For more in-depth information about spirals click the following links:

These links were very useful in interpreting my painting. So here it is. Oh by the way another artist friend was also painting spirals at around the same time as myself. Interesting isn't it. I suppose great minds DO think alike, lol.... Here's the link to Evita's facebook page. Tell her I said hi.....

Red and yellow combined makes orange. Red is stimulating and yellow joyful and happy. Therefore orange is a warm uplifting colour with the qualities of both. Orange is great when you are depressed or are having a low mood. It can help lift your mood and encourage optimism. Orange helps you look on the brighter side of life and stimulates mental activity. Orange relates to enthusiasm and adventure, it is great for spicing up your life. This colour oozes confidence and is a bit extrovert. If you want to promote fascination, independence and social communication then use this colour more in your life. you can wear it, eat it and even surround yourself in it. Just do not overload, remember balance is the key. By the way orange is associated with strength and endurance too, that's always good to have. So when you are feeling low and need a pick me up or you want courage in a social situation, then orange is your colour. Oh a quick disclaimer this is just to experiment and not a cure for anything. Just saying. :) On that note here is my latest endeavor. My painting made with different shades of orange. I call it 'Free Your Mind', appropriate to the colour I thought as orange helps the creative juices flow and loves adventure. Here are the different stages of the painting...

﻿The first stage was painting the background sky in various shades of orange to give it a kind of sunset feel. However I was so into my painting that I forgot to take a photo...oops... Well lets fast forward to the next bit of the painting, the mountain. The mountain with the stairs, signifies the difficult path in life as it is a struggle to get to where you want to be. Hence the stairs going up, a long hard climb, rocky, tiring, difficult hurdles to overcome along the way. ﻿

The balloon is the choice taken to go with the flow, without a care finding joy, happiness and upliftment in whatever comes before you. Viewing life as an adventure where you are the main character. There will be turbulence along the way, but it subsides and the journey continues. You know that problems can occur with the voyage and you could come crashing down, but courage keeps you afloat. So free your mind view life differently so that it is easier to navigate and feels less of a drag. Life can get depressing, but find the courage to continue and overcome the challenges and then carry on.

Without further ado I give you the completed painting, 'Free Your Mind'.

﻿Today we decided to go to Ullswater in the popular Lake District. Another favourite haunt of ours with gorgeous scenery. Although the weather started off sunny, unfortunately later on it became cloudy as soon as I got my camera out. Anyway I don't mind, as we still had fun and the views were breathtaking. I will definitely use this as inspiration for future paintings. Here are some of the photos I took. Enjoy!!! :)﻿

﻿Getting out is great therapy for the spirit, so if you get a chance, do it not matter what the weather is like. Until we meet again.Love and PeaceSamira :)﻿

﻿Author﻿

I am a self taught artist who loves and appreciates art and photography. Both capture moments of life with great meaning and beauty.

A photo or a piece of art can set off all kinds of emotions. I believe that looking at paintings and images can promote healing too, a form of colour therapy.

Anyway, I hope my vision of my time on this planet can give you all some form of joy.

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